1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a grommet holder and method of bending a wiring harness, and more particularly, to a grommet holder and method for bending and guiding a wiring harness.
2. Description of Background Information
Wiring harnesses used in automobiles are often mounted at predetermined positions and are connected with respective electrical devices installed in, for example, an automobile. Wiring harnesses often have to be bent at predetermined angles for connecting respective electrical devices, depending on the position and direction of the device.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. (Hei) 9-35537, shown in FIG. 5, a known bending device 100 for bending a wiring harness W/H is shown. A heat shrink sheet 3 is wound around the around the portion of wiring harness W/H to be bent, and both ends of the device 100 are fastened with tape. Then, the inner side to be bent is heated, resulting in only the inside portion 3a of the heat shrink sheet 3 being shrunk.
To connect a wiring harness with this known bending device 100, each wire S of wiring harness W/H is inserted into a grommet 2 which is mounted on the grommet holder 1 for easier wire connection, as shown in FIG. 6. Each wire is guided so that each wire S is at a predetermined interval in accordance with a connecting end of a device to be wired (not illustrated). The end portion of each wire S may then be connected with the device to be wired, for installation in an automobile.
Therefore, when connecting the wiring harness with a device to be wired along a bent path, for instance, it is necessary to use both the heat shrink sheet and the grommet holder in combination, which necessitates an increased number of parts and presents a problem of increasing manufacturing processes with a resulting increase in cost. Moreover, the heat shrink sheet requires the application of a heat process that is dangerous and laborious, and requires difficulty in setting the required predetermined angle when bending the wiring harness.